


Vigil

by Jathis



Series: The Steward and the Sorcerer [44]
Category: Sofia the First (Cartoon)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:28:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28579752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jathis/pseuds/Jathis
Summary: The queen is dead
Series: The Steward and the Sorcerer [44]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2091021
Kudos: 8





	Vigil

The queen was dead.

The kingdom of Enchancia now had twins as heirs to the throne; a girl named Amber and a boy named James.

But the queen was dead.

Cedric waited until he was certain everyone had gone to bed before going to pay his own respects. The sorcerer locked himself away in his tower when he received the news and had not been down since. In the morning she would be placed in a coffin and the people would be able to mourn as it was carried through the village before the burial. For now her body lay on her deathbed, covered in flowers, her purple cloak with ermine fur trim, and fine silks that would decay and rot with the rest of her.

The royal sorcerer moved quietly towards the viewing room. He was dressed all in black, save for the yellow ribbon she had given him for his birthday several years ago. He would never take that ribbon off if he could help it. He stepped into the doorway and stopped, ducking his head down.

She wasn’t alone. King Roland remained by her side, his head bowed in deep mourning. His hands were braced against her bed, giving him some support. It didn’t look like the king was going to be moving any time soon and this was Cedric’s only chance.

Slowly Cedric straightened up, walking into the room proper. Roland lifted his head to look at him, saying nothing before looking back down at the queen. He hesitated a moment before continuing to walk forward, circling around to stand on the same side as Roland. He stood beside the king, looking down at Lorelei.

Roland surprised him when he suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse from crying. “She looks like she’s sleeping,” he whispered. “She looks like any minute she’ll just open her eyes and… and this will all have been a bad dream.”

“But you know she’s not, sire.” Roland winced at his words but Cedric continued. “You have the little princess and prince. They still carry her inside of them. You’ll see her every time you look at them and you’ll remember how much she loved you. So in a way she’s not dead at all.”

“I never took you for a poet, Cedric.”

He snorted softly, shaking his head. “It’s not poetry, it’s fact,” he said. He watched as fresh tears fell down the king’s already tear stained face. “Roland…”

“This is my fault,” he whispered.

“It is no one’s fault,” Cedric said. “The vilest criminal and purest Saint all die eventually.”

“You don’t understand I…” Roland’s throat closed, making it impossible to speak further.

Cedric looked at his former childhood friend and he was surprised at how much his heart hurt to see him so broken. He could not remember the last time he had seen Roland cry so openly. He reached out, touching his arm with the tips of his fingers. “Roland…”

“What am I going to do, Cedric? How can I raise them without their mother?!” Roland sobbed.

He pulled him into a hug without thinking. The taller man tensed up briefly in shock but he was soon hugging Cedric tight, sobbing into his neck. Cedric stroked his head, the only form of comfort he knew how to give and learned from his mother. “You’re going to do your best, sire. You’re going to do your best and they will love you.”

Cedric’s ribbon and collar of his shirt were soaked in Roland’s tears by the time Roland was finished. The king slowly straightened, wiping at his eyes with the heel of his hand. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“You’ve been here all day, sire. Perhaps you…”

“I’m not leaving her.”

Cedric sighed, nodding his head in understanding. He had expected that answer. He used his wand to conjure two chairs, guiding Roland into one of them before sitting down in his own. “At least rest your legs,” he said.

“You don’t have to stay, Cedric.”

“I want to. She was a wonderful queen. It would be a disservice not to have at least two people holding vigil over her.”

Roland smiled sadly, nodding his head. He looked over at Cedric and took his hand, squeezing it. “Thank you, Cedric.”

He returned the smile, returning the gesture. “Of course, your majesty.”

King and royal sorcerer sat side by side, watching over the queen for the rest of the night in silence.

They did not talk about it again.


End file.
